The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of a switching apparatus for a group of elevators or lifts or the like, containing devices for a collective control and an individual travel control, and further has automatic doors, and wherein there are provided storey call storages which can be controlled by means of storey call transmitters and operatively associated with each control mode.
The purpose of such type switching apparatus is, for instance in the environment of hospitals, to switch one or a number of elevators of an elevator group from one type of control mode to the other control mode. The elevators for transporting individuals are operated by means of the collective control and for transporting beds and the like are operated by means of individual travel control rendering possible direct travel of the elevator to a given destination.
In German Pat. No. 2,418,129 there has been disclosed to the art an elevator installation for such type hybrid operation. Here, all of the elevators of the group continuously operate with the collective control as long as there is not required any transport of beds or the like between various floors or storeys of the building. The switching of an elevator from the collective control-operational mode to the individual travel control operational mode is accomplished by actuation of storey call transmitters which are associated with the individual travel control. These storey call transmitters however first then can be used after they have been activated by the approach of a bed by means of an inductive coil. With a bed call there is selected, to the extent available, a free elevator and allocated to the individual travel control. The report that the elevator is free is transmitted to a selection device, by means of which, also in the case of a number of free elevators, there is only freed one of the elevators for servicing the bed call. If there is not available a free elevator for servicing a bed call, then the next elevator which happens to pass the bed call-holding station, and which is in the process of transporting personnel, is stopped. With the aid of a suitable signal the traveling guests are requested to leave the elevator cabin. So that the transport of individuals i.e. passengers does not totally breakdown there is provided a limit device which can be set by a doorkeeper or other operating personnel, serving to limit the number of elevators which can be selected for transporting beds.
With such type elevator installation it is not possible to faultlessly separate the transport of beds from the transport of passengers. Thus, it is conceivable that passengers and beds mutually hinder one another before the doors of the elevator. Additionally, the passengers are forced to disembark from the elevator at landings or floors which they have not requested, so that depending upon the number of elevators which are still available for transferring passengers considerable time can elapse until he or she has reached the desired storey destination. What is also disadvantageous with this system is that, for the purpose of initiating the switching operation, it is necessary to provide at each storey or floor at least one induction coil or loop which activates the storey call transmitter of the individual travel control. A further drawback resides in the fact that with the presence of a number of free elevators there is not accomplished any group formation, so that in any event there is not insured the determination of the elevator cabin which in terms of its location is most favorable for servicing the call in question.